Deflashing Polypropylene Plastic

The objective is to remove flashing, sharp edges, machining marks and rough surfaces from a polypropylene plastic part. This material is often used to make molded products such as orthotics. This process is required for preparation before further processing such as painting and coating.



The part on the left shows the sharp edges and machining marks that need to be removed. This was accomplished (see part on right) by vibratory tumbling the part in a Ceramic Media for 2 hours. The resulting smooth, matte finish is ready for painting or application of any type of required finish.

The part below shows how aggressive vibratory tumbling can be. The part on the left is a raw part that is dramatically 'worn down' by an aggressive ceramic media after 4 hours.